As I received no response at all when I posted in the theories section, could I respectfully ask Yang Jun for a definition of Sung?

I think I understand the concept (please see my post), but have heard many different descriptions of the "side effects" (qi flow, heat, running water, tingling, pulsing). I also believe it is essential to the proper practice of taiji, but not having had teaching from any lineage teachers I am prepared to accept I could be wrong.

In addition, are there any exercises Yang Jun could recommend to enhance the state of sung?

Yang Jun went to Montreal today for the mini-seminar taking place there. In addition I still haven't quite caught up on the last batch of questions! Your question is a good one but you may have to wait a few days or a week to get the response. Meanwhile perhaps some other contributors can respond from their experience to David's posting in the theory forum. Yang Zhenduo talks a little bit about this topic in his interviews in Tai Chi magazine, vol 18 number 5, vol 19 number 5, and vol 20, number 6 if you have those.

As a quick aside: Not only was the article "Song Kai" very good, but the whole issue was excellent. More and more, the newsletter is becoming in itself a very good reason for paying the membership fee. Congratulations to newsletter editor Dave Barrett.

Sung means to relax yet be supple and alive. When you're sung everything is open and chi is flowing naturally throughout. In every position in tai chi chuan form, the practioner should be sung, then you'd feel a tingling at the top of your head. To be sung also means no joint in your body is locked. According to my teachers (whom come from the Tung and Wu style tradition) there are nine main joints (ankle, knees, hips, waist, 3 points in the vertebrate, wrists, elbow, shoulder) in the body. All of them must be open and free. If any of the joints are over extended then they are locked. Hopefully this helps.

Sorry for the mix up above I mentioned that there are 9 main joints in the human body and listed 10. The nine again are the ankles, knees, hips (kua), 3 points in the back, the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. As for the 3 points in the vertabrate: I think they are the tailbone, in between the shoulder blades, and the top of the spine. These three points coincide with the waist, sternum, and neck. I'll get more information about this soon. The back and joints must be open and sung because that's where the energy travels through. According to the taiji classic written by Wu Yuxiang "the strength is issued through the spine." Having the back or any of the joints locked will result in blocking the transference of energy.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Rafael:Sung means to relax yet be supple and alive. When you're sung everything is open and chi is flowing naturally throughout. In every position in tai chi chuan form, the practioner should be sung, then you'd feel a tingling at the top of your head. To be sung also means no joint in your body is locked. According to my teachers (whom come from the Tung and Wu style tradition) there are nine main joints (ankle, knees, hips, waist, 3 points in the vertebrate, wrists, elbow, shoulder) in the body. All of them must be open and free. If any of the joints are over extended then they are locked. Hopefully this helps.</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Greetings Rafael,

Thanks for posting, but I suspect you missed the discussion I mentioned in the Theories Forum. My fault, as I should also have duplicated my starting point in this section when I posted my question to Yang Jun. The starting point of discussion was as follows:

Definition:Sung is a state in which muscles are relaxed, not limp, but not tense. There is sufficient muscular activity to maintain posture. There is also a slight extension of each joint in the body so as to open the joint, almost as though separating the bones. This creates a "connectivity" essential in establishing peng jin.When done correctly there will be an increased flow of blood throughout the body, particularly noticeable in extremities such as the fingertips. This will lead to a feeling of heat, perhaps tingling and occasionally a light sweating.

Once again, my apologies and I hope this makes my original post in this forum a little clearer.